New Lenox police investigating sewer cover thefts

About 7:21 p.m. Sept. 4, a person contacted the police and reported that someone stole three sewer covers in the 1900 block of Ferro Drive, according to a New Lenox Police Department news release.

A sewer cover was stolen from 1901 Ferro Drive, and two others were stolen just east of that location, New Lenox Deputy Police Chief Louis Alessandrini said in an email.

“Currently, there are wooden horses around the sewers until the replacement covers are acquired and installed,” Alessandrini said.

He said other areas, particularly Joliet, have experienced a rash of stolen sewer covers. Police did not have any suspect information as of Friday afternoon.

In 2012, Joliet police arrested three men who allegedly stole 200 sewer grates and tried to sell them to scrap yards. Police said at the time that the grates weighed
100 pounds and can take about 10 seconds to remove.